Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: First time grower (Norther Brewer)  (Read 959 times)

Offline arojewski

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 1
First time grower (Norther Brewer)
« on: June 26, 2020, 01:35:10 pm »
Hey everyone,
  So we recently bought a house, and with the lockdown I decided "Why not grow hops?!". I selected Norther Brewer due to their "all purpose" label on AIH and the less than desirable location I selected to grow them in. Now I'm wondering how to best utilize my first harvest. I was thinking of using the fresh hops in a hopback for my Two Hearted Ale clone. Any thoughts?
-Alex R.

Offline chinaski

  • Brewmaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 570
Re: First time grower (Norther Brewer)
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2020, 07:36:13 pm »
Cool- I love growing hops!  If you started from rhizomes this year don't expect a big harvest; probably not enough to impact any full 5-gallon recipe.  I recommend seeing what you get and resisting the urge to pick them too early (like I did when I started).  Throw 'em a batch just to say you have some of your own hops in it this year.  If they do well, you'll get more and more over the next 2-4 years as the plant gets established.  Enjoy!

Offline Fairyty

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: First time grower (Norther Brewer)
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2020, 10:26:33 pm »
Hello all, I plant some hops in my garden. I am very excited about how it grows

Offline goose

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1286
Re: First time grower (Norther Brewer)
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2020, 08:28:43 am »
I have been growing Cascade and Nuigget here for at least 8 years now.  It takes about three years to get a good harvest but you should be able to get enough for a five gallon batch of "wet hopped" ale in the first year.

Remember to do two things.
1)  Cut them back when they start coming up in the spring.  This will give you stronger bines.
2)  Once they come up again, take the three srongest bines and start them climbing (rough string like sisal baler twine is a good climbing medium, don't use the plastic stuff it is too smooth).  Cut all the rest down to the ground (you want all the energy put in the three you save).
3)  After several years you will need to thin the hop patch by digging out or cutting the rhizhomes that start to come up away from your desired location.  Hops will spread if given the chance and again you want the energy put into the hop bines you want to harvest from.

Good luck!  There is more information on this forum about hop growing as well.
Goose Steingass
Wooster, OH
Society of Akron Area Zymurgists (SAAZ)
Wayne County Brew Club
Mansfield Brew Club
BJCP Certified

Offline BaseWerks Brewing

  • Cellarman
  • **
  • Posts: 84
  • Follow me on Instagram -- @BaseWerksBrewing
Re: First time grower (Norther Brewer)
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2020, 02:15:42 pm »
Quote
I have been growing Cascade and Nuigget here for at least 8 years now.  It takes about three years to get a good harvest but you should be able to get enough for a five gallon batch of "wet hopped" ale in the first year.

Remember to do two things.
1)  Cut them back when they start coming up in the spring.  This will give you stronger bines.
2)  Once they come up again, take the three srongest bines and start them climbing (rough string like sisal baler twine is a good climbing medium, don't use the plastic stuff it is too smooth).  Cut all the rest down to the ground (you want all the energy put in the three you save).
3)  After several years you will need to thin the hop patch by digging out or cutting the rhizhomes that start to come up away from your desired location.  Hops will spread if given the chance and again you want the energy put into the hop bines you want to harvest from.

Good luck!  There is more information on this forum about hop growing as well.

I've been growing hops for a few years now and find it real rewarding. I agree with the process above.  I cannot wait to try my Comet and Chinook this year.  They are year 2 plants so I should have a good yield if the Asian Beatles don't get the best of them.
Andy K
Follow me on Instagram -- @BaseWerksBrewing

Offline Saccharomyces

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1136
  • Deus ex machina
Re: First time grower (Norther Brewer)
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2020, 10:01:39 am »
I've been growing hops for a few years now and find it real rewarding. I agree with the process above.  I cannot wait to try my Comet and Chinook this year.  They are year 2 plants so I should have a good yield if the Asian Beatles don't get the best of them.

I loathe Japanese Beetles.  They are like rats with wings. 

Here's what they did to two of my aroma hop hills in one day:







They barely touched my CTZ hill, which went hermaphroditic on me.




I am pretty sure that Japanese beetles do not care for bitter hop cultivars. I sent a sample from this hill to Alpha Analytics for analysis just because I was curious.  If I recall correctly (I need to look for the analysis sheet), the dried cones from this hill clocked in at over 16% alpha acid.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2020, 12:20:52 pm by Saccharomyces »

Offline BrewBama

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 6048
Re: First time grower (Norther Brewer)
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2020, 10:48:08 am »
Once I set out a Japanese Beetle trap. Warning: never do that. I attracted every Japanese Beetle in the county. They were swarming around the attractant. The bags had to be emptied daily. It stunk like the N end of a S bound mule.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk